1. Stop Being a Bank For Your Customers – If you get paid as soon as you sell something, this tip won’t help you much. But for the thousands of you who sell on credit (yes, credit) by performing a service, invoicing and then getting paid after the work is complete, this tip will help you a bunch. Most small business owners set due dates as “Net 30.” Who invented that rule? I’m here to tell you that you can make your invoice due date anything you want. And for the health of your business, make it short! How does “Due on Receipt” or “Net 5” sound to you? Change your due date now.
2. Get Those Bills Out The Door Pronto – Have you ever heard of a customer paying a bill they didn't get? Me neither. Way too often I hear small business owners (and many solopreneurs) say, “Oops, I forgot to get my invoices out this month.” That is not a quick road to healthy cash flow. Get that invoice out the door as soon as the work is completed. You don’t have to wait until the first of the month or a set amount of days to bill. This is under your control. Do it the day the work is completed and you’ll have your payment in hand sooner.
3. Set Up A Chunky Payment System – You run a big risk if you do work and then wait to get paid for it. A better way is to set up your client agreement using milestones and then get paid on an incremental basis. There are no rules that say you must do the work and then get paid. Remember, you are not a bank (see Tip #1). When you negotiate your next contract, set it up so you receive a portion of the payment when you begin, another portion when you are half done and the rest when the project is complete. Split your project up into logical delivery points and bill at each one of those points.
4. Package Your Cash In Bundles
